Seven simple ways to feel your best this month

1. Burn more calories at the beach

Want to maximize your exercise results this summer? Then hit the beach running. Belgian researchers say jogging along the shoreline nearly doubles your fat-burning potential compared with running on harder surfaces like concrete. After measuring energy output, they discovered sand running requires nearly twice the effort, forcing your muscles to work harder in less time. Plus, running by the waves makes for the perfect playlist.

2. Wake up early, slim down fast

You’re going to want to set your alarm to weight loss o’clock: A new study shows soaking up extra sunlight helps us lose weight. Researchers at Northwestern University discovered people who spend more time in natural light earlier in the day tend to have lower ratios of body fat. The reason? Morning light helps regulate hormones involved in appetite control. What’s even more interesting is that the ratio of body fat in people who didn’t get a lot of daylight increased by 1.28 units on the body mass index scale for every hour of light they missed. So long, snooze button!

3. Strengthen your relationship by watching movies

Watching flicks like The Notebook may rekindle romance in your daily life, say U.S. researchers. Weekly date nights to see box-office romances featuring couples in intimate relationships can reduce your chances of breaking up by more than 50 percent. It helps to discuss plot lines with your partner, because onscreen love lives may make your own issues seem less threatening. The researchers say the movie treatment is just as effective at reducing the risk of divorce as spending time in couples counselling. Talk about happily ever after.

4. Grill more mushrooms (and a little less meat)

New research may make you want to reconsider what you throw on the barbecue this season. Diets high in saturated fats (around 47.5 g a day) can increase the risk of hormone-sensitive breast cancer by 28 percent, says a recent study, involving nearly 337,000 women, in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute. While the researchers still don’t understand why this type of fat had such an effect, they warn we should limit our intake to no more than 10 percent of our total daily calories.

Intrigued? Get the recipe for this grilled portobello-quinoa salad. 

5. Tone up with green tomatoes

There’s a bumper crop of delicious green tomatoes this month in farmers’ markets across the country — and that’s great news if you’re trying to sculpt some yoga arms! The compound tomatidine in these greenies may help build muscle by encouraging growth on a cellular level, says new research from the University of Iowa. No word yet on how many green tomatoes we need to eat to achieve a six-pack, but we’re all for adding some to our next salad. And maybe even lightly frying one for good measure.

Click here for our favourite fried-green tomato recipe.

6. Erase wrinkles with weekly workouts

The fountain of youth could be located at the gym, say researchers from McMaster University. They enrolled a group of people, aged 65 and older, into a three-month endurance-training program with 30- to 45-minute workouts twice a week. To evaluate exercise’s effect on aging skin, the researchers decided to biopsy cells on the butts of each participant (which rarely, if ever, catch UV rays) before and after the training program. Much to their surprise, under the microscope the cells looked 20 to 30 years younger than they did prior to the gym sessions. Based on the results, the researchers say moderate to vigorous exercise may have the power to rejuvenate and refresh skin. “Exercise has benefits beyond just building muscle and improving cardio,” says lead researcher Dr. Mark Tarnopolsky. “It’s never too late to start exercising.”

Know the soda-stroke link

New Swedish research says we’ve got to let our love for soft drinks fizzle out fast. Two 200-mL sodas a day can increase stroke risk by as much as 22 percent. Previous research shows that sugar-sweetened drinks may increase blood sugar levels and inflammation elsewhere in the body, both of which are linked with stroke risk. So drop that pop!

Read more: The seven-day meal plan to help kick your sugar habit